1. Claude Lemieux
The little spitfire out of Buckingham, Quebec started his NHL career with the Montreal Canadiens, winning the Stanley Cup in his rookie season. Lemieux played gritty hockey, getting under the skin of his opponents. His days in Montreal were marked being one of the players with the highest PIMs. Twice, Lemieux helped Les Canadiens make it to the Finals.
Following a move to New Jersey, Lemieux captured a second Cup along with a Conn Smythe Trophy, with 16 points—13 of them goals—in 20 contests.
The next year would cement Lemieux's reputation as a hated player. In Game Six of the 1996 Western Conference Finals, Lemieux, now with the Colorado Avalanche, checked the Detroit Red Wings' Kris Draper into the boards from behind, smashing Draper's face and leaving him in a pool of blood. An all-out brawl ensued, in which Lemieux turtled and refused to fight.
Lemieux's antics didn't go unnoticed—yet the Avalanche went on to beat the Wings, and win the Stanley Cup.
2. Scott Stevens
Using a former New Jersey captain as a hated NHL player may ruffle a few feathers, but believe me, there were those who hated the fiery Devils captain. Stevens, known mostly for his bone-jarring, fear-injecting body checks and neutral-zone impacts to the head, came to be known as the most feared defender in the game.
Stevens was a solid defenseman, yet his style of hitting rubbed many people the wrong way. During Game Seven of the 2000 Eastern Conference Finals, Stevens lined up concussion-prone Philadelphia Flyer Eric Lindros, who was coming across the blueline with his head down. Stevens sent the 240-pound Lindros crumpling to the ice, giving Lindros yet another concussion.
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Feared more than possibly hated, Stevens was a player that indicted hatred and anger in many rival teams' buildings.
3. Sean Avery
Another spitfire—now with the Dallas Stars—Avery combines a somewhat decent offensive game with an annoying gritty style, which involves breaking his opponents verbally. Avery is known to go on and on with his celebrations, beyond the normal fist-pumping actions.
During the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals against the New Jersey Devils, Avery, then with the New York Rangers, screened Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur—not by facing his back to the net, but by standing looking towards Brodeur, waving his arms and his stick in front of Brodeur and the netminder's face.
Because of this annoying tactic, the NHL instituted the "Sean Avery Rule," which states that no player can use the same tactic that Avery used against Brodeur. After the Rangers' series win in Game Five, Brodeur did not shake Avery's hand.
4. Todd Bertuzzi
A great power forward, Bertuzzi's career has been marred by the Steve Moore incident in Vancouver. Ever since suckerpunching Moore from behind and driving Moore's head into the ice in a game against the Colorado Avalanche, Bertuzzi has not managed to get his game back to the same level it was at before.
A rivalry had started between the Vancouver Canucks and Colorado Avalanche when Moore took a cheap shot at then-Canucks captain Markus Naslund and received no penalty or suspension.
Bertuzzi took exception and wanted to fight Moore, yet opted to suckerpunch him.
In the opinion of many fans that I have heard around the league, Bertuzzi is not at the top of favorite player lists anymore. Now in Calgary with the Flames, expect Avalanche and possibly even Canuck fans to rain down the boos on Big Bert.
5. Eric Lindros
Already mentioned above in the hit that sent Lindros' career packing, Eric Lindros' career was marked by the fact he was going to be "The Next One." Never living up to his full expectation, Lindros was a whiner from the beginning.
Drafted by the struggling Quebec Nordiques, he refused to play for the Nords and was dealt to the Flyers for Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Ron Hextall, and others. Lindros' career took off, and he even made a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1997. Yet Lindros' behavior on and off the ice was what made many people skeptical.
His constant bickering with team doctors and then-Flyers GM Bobby Clarke settled in Lindros' loss of the captaincy, and eventual exit from the Flyers organization. Lindros played out the rest of his career in New York, Toronto, and Dallas in a fashion that many would not have thought was possible.
Plagued by concussions, Lindros' numbers decreased and fans started to wonder what could have been. Many still don't care much for the former No. 1 draft pick-turned-whiner.
Honourable Mention:
Dave 'Tiger' Williams
Marty McSorley
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about 1 month ago
I hate Lemieux but man did he ever sport a sick bucket in that picture ahah
about 1 month ago
i agree with lemieux. he is a great guy, because everyone hated him so much. i read a book about the detroit-colorado rivalry in the 90s...it shows just how hated he is, many people don't even know how hated he is lol
about 1 month ago
Lindros is probably number two. Everyone hated that guy, with good reason.
about 1 month ago
I would throw Theo Fleury on there...his antics made him disliked by many, including teammates
from about 1 month ago
Agreed, I almost put Fleury on there.
about 1 month ago
The never-lived-to-his-expectation reason for hating Lindros is understandable. The I'll-never-play-for-Quebec factor may even be understandable though Yzerman said the same exact thing during that time and never received flak. But this.... "His constant bickering with team doctors and then-Flyers GM Bobby Clarke settled in Lindros' loss of the captaincy,..." is the mark of a lazy (senior?) writer riding on sensationalism and looking for something to talk about. There's a whole lot of rationale backing to why Lindros "bickered" with the team doctors. You know the reasons and if you use a bit of brain, you'll also realize they're valid. If you don't, google it. I'm sure you also know that Lindros isn't the only player who have problems with Clarke. Even non players within the organization have issues with him. Again, google it and don't be so one-sided for the sake of putting out an article this time.
Also, if this list is supposed to be for the most hated, Scott Stevens should not be there. He was not hated, he was feared and people groan when they had to play him but he was not hated. You admitted that, yet, what's the title of this article?
about 1 month ago
I think Lindros gets a bad wrap, the Flyers did plenty to him. Yes, his parents weren't the greatest but your parents are your parents and I know people say he should of fired them but how do you do that. No matter how old you are you always want to believe your parents have your best interest at heart, even if their methods make your life hell at times. If you noticed some of the things he fought for have become common place and the league and the players are better off for it. You don't it was worked out ahead of time the Crosby was going to Pitt, that's how they got lucky in the lottery. Additional, I think that why he ended up at the NHLPA, he wanted to show he does care about the other players and wants to protect them for owners and manager.
about 1 month ago
Lindros is the only guy on the list because of his OWN fans and teammates, and that alone makes him a candidate for #1. I don't think most teams outside his rivals would have Stevens on that list, so I woulda dropped him, put McSorely on, and added Fleury to honorable mention. And you could justifiably put them in pretty much any order. Good article.
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